Dealing with Changing Schools and Academic Pressure as a Military Teen
Academic pressure on military teens can easily go overlooked, and research suggests it often does. More than 90% of military children attend civilian schools that may not fully understand the challenges of military life.¹ This might mean that the vast majority of military teens may not be getting the support they need.
For military teens, school isn’t just about homework and grades. Often it’s about starting over – again, and again, and again. New teachers, making new friends, and the constant pressure to catch up, fit in, and stay on track are all part of a military teen’s life. Even when they’re doing their best, the stress can build quietly.
Most students feel pressure at some point, but military life adds extra layers that most people don’t see. It can wear on focus, motivation, and confidence. What’s more, the cycle of changing schools can heighten military child stress, especially when it disrupts friendships, routines, and a teen’s sense of stability.
If you’re a military teen or caring for one, learning how military moves affect academics and how teens can cope with transitions are important considerations to bear in mind.
To answer all of your questions on managing the academic pressures military teens face, this page will cover:
- How military moves affect academics
- Teen anxiety and burnout
- Coping strategies for military kids transitioning schools
- Mental health support for school transitions
- How Mission Prep can help military teens in transitions
How Military Moves Affect Academics
Research shows that children in military families manage a unique combination of stressors that affect all parts of their lives, including disrupted schooling, mental health, and their social, educational, and emotional development.²
One major challenge is that when a teen changes schools, their transcript doesn’t always follow neatly behind them. Some classes don’t transfer, credit requirements vary, and a class might teach them material they’ve already learned or miss something essential with no chance to catch up.
What’s more, school systems aren’t built for constant movement. One school may use block scheduling, and another might run on semesters. Grading scales change and class content shifts. By the time a teen gets settled, they may already be behind.
This patchwork learning can create real gaps. According to the National Audit Office, around 42% of military parents report moving schools has a negative impact on their child’s academic performance, with the differences in curriculums between schools being the most common problem.³
A subject like math or science builds step by step. Missing even one piece can make the rest harder to grasp. And when those gaps pile up, it can feel like being 5 steps behind for many military kids – like they are moving at the same speed but are somehow still behind. And when this happens, motivation levels can drop.
In high school, the academic pressure continues to increase. Standardized tests and graduation timelines don’t wait for anyone to adjust. Even students who work hard may feel like they’re slipping.
Unfortunately, academic pressure on military teens starts to affect them more than just their grades slipping. The elevated stress levels that can come from feeling constantly under pressure can begin to take a toll on their mental health. If left unaddressed, this can potentially lead to anxiety and burnout, for example.
Teen Academic Anxiety in Military Life
Teen stress in a military family can spike during school change as routine vanishes and expectations shift. Unfortunately, military teens often get used to staying quiet about stress, and they develop the mindset that they need to keep their struggles to themselves, known as toxic resilience. As a result, they may show up, try to keep up, and do what’s asked while carrying a mental load most people don’t see.
What does this mean in school? Some teens stop asking questions in class because they don’t want to seem lost. Others start to believe they’re falling short. This can start to chip away at their confidence and self-esteem, making them feel generally incapable or stupid when that’s far from the case.
In terms of their mental health, the teen academic anxiety that’s often such a part of military life can show up as panic, stomach pain, restlessness, irritability, constant worry, or just not wanting to go to school.⁴ Some research indicates that anxiety in military teens can also present as separation anxiety, sleep problems, or headaches.⁵
Teen Burnout from School Pressure
When academic pressure on military teens presents as burnout, it doesn’t always hit all at once. It creeps in slowly. A missed deadline here, a lesson sat there in pure confusion there. Add in the effort of adjusting to a new environment, and even the most driven military teen can start to feel worn thin.
Sometimes teen burnout due to school pressure looks like apathy. A student stops trying, says they’re “over it,” or zones out in class. But underneath, there’s often a sense of being overwhelmed by too much change too fast. Burnout can make a teen go from caring a lot to not caring at all, and that shift is easy to miss until grades drop or their behavior changes.
Teens experiencing this need space to recover, consistency, and the kind of support that helps them reset without shame.
Tips on Helping Military Kids Cope with School Transitions
A Bloom survey in 2021 that included over 2000 military teens found that 87% of military teens had low to moderate mental well-being scores.⁶ There’s also research that states that only 8% of military teens report high mental well-being.⁷ In short, military teens are faced with many mental health challenges.
There’s no perfect way to ease the stresses of school changes, but there are ways to make each one a little less overwhelming. Helping military teens adjust to a new school starts with giving them space to talk about what’s hard, even if it seems small. A missed friend group, a confusing schedule, or even a locker that sticks are things that can add up and cause mounting stress.
There are things that parents and caregivers can do to ease academic pressure on military teens. Helping military teens adjust to school changes is about inclusion, routines, and patience:
1. Include Teens in Decision-Making
Before the move, include teens in conversations about the next school. Look at course options together, and if possible, reach out to the school ahead of time to ask about placement tests, credit transfers, and academic support. Reducing uncertainty before day one can make a big difference.
2. Set Routines to Create Predictability
Once teens start a new school, routine helps.⁸ Setting a consistent wake-up time, homework window, and bedtime offers stability when everything else feels new. Encourage teens to find one or two trusted adults at school – whether a counselor, coach, or favorite teacher – who can check in with them and offer guidance.
3. Be Patient With Them
It’s also okay if it takes time. Some teens dive into a new school without hesitation – sometimes even glad for the change. Others take weeks or months to find their footing. Pushing too hard to “just get used to it” can backfire. What they need most is understanding, patience, and steady support at home.
Above all, military teens can benefit from being reminded that feeling unsettled doesn’t mean they’re failing. It means they’re adapting and it takes more strength than most people realize.
Mental Health Support for School Transitions
Military teens often become experts at adjusting. But even the most adaptable students can feel the strain when a new school piles on pressure, uncertainty, and emotional stress. That’s where mental health support can come in handy – it can offer stability in crisis moments and form an anchor point when everything else is changing.
Most schools serving military communities offer some level of counseling. School counselors can help with understanding what you’re feeling, helping you tackle peer issues, and coping tools for academic stress. Having one adult on campus who checks in regularly can make all the difference. But in order to offer helpful counseling and guidance, school counselors must have knowledge of military life and the unique experiences faced by military children.⁹ So, it’s important to look out for this as a military teen.
Support outside school also plays a key role, and these services can be more tailored to military families. TRICARE, for example, is a uniformed service healthcare program for those in the military and their families. With TRICARE, you get access to certain support services, including mental health care. Here at Mission Prep, we’re a TRICARE treatment center, meaning we can support teens from military families. We offer a range of therapeutic options that can be beneficial to teens from military families:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
This approach helps teens notice the connection between what they think and how they feel. For example, if a student believes they’ll never catch up in class, CBT helps them challenge that thought and build confidence with small, realistic steps.
Trauma-Informed Therapy
For academic pressure, military teens often find trauma-informed therapy helpful. This approach helps teens who’ve experienced emotionally difficult moves or disruptions. It focuses on safety, trust, and understanding how past stressors may affect current school experiences.
Group Therapy or Peer Support
Talking with other military-connected teens can reduce feelings of isolation. These settings offer a sense of belonging and show teens they’re not alone in their struggles.
Family Therapy
Transitions affect everyone in the household. Family sessions give space to talk about school stress, changes in behavior, and how to support each other during major shifts.
Telehealth Therapy
For families in remote areas or those moving frequently, virtual therapy offers flexibility and consistency, allowing teens to keep working with the same provider even after a relocation.
Whether it’s school counseling, private therapy, or coordinated academic and mental health support, these services work best when they come early and stay consistent. But these aren’t the only options.
In some cases, medication may be part of the care plan, especially when symptoms of anxiety, depression, chronic stress, or ADHD begin to interfere with daily life. For military teens dealing with high school anxiety or academic pressure that doesn’t ease with time, providers might explore short- or long-term medication options. This step should always be taken with care, involving the teen and their family in the decision process.
Education Resources for Military Children
Most military bases have something called a School Liaison Program.¹⁰ These liaisons know the local school systems and can help with enrollment, class placement, and any weird credit transfer issues that pop up. They can also help with school counseling for military teens and are there to speak up for you or your teen if something feels off or unfair after a move.
Tutoring for military youth is another big help, especially services like Tutor.com, which offers free one-on-one online tutoring thanks to Department of Defense funding. Whether it’s algebra, English essays, or test prep, it’s there when your teen needs a boost.
Some teens also connect with Military Family Life Counselors (MFLCs), who can help with stress, transitions, or just talking things through.¹¹ They’re not teachers, but they know what it’s like to support teens under pressure.
And for families looking ahead to college, there are scholarship programs, application support tools, and financial aid workshops built just for military-connected students. Knowing where to look makes a big difference, and knowing you don’t have to do it all alone makes an even bigger one.
Reach Out to Mission Prep for Advice on Emotional Support for Military Teens
When it comes to academic pressure on military teens, it’s sometimes hard to tell when a teen needs more than just time to adjust. Maybe they’ve stopped caring about school. Maybe they seem fine, but you’ve noticed they’re sleeping more, snapping often, or pulling away from friends. If something feels off, trust that instinct.
At Mission Prep, we specialize in helping military families spot those signs early and respond with the right kind of support. We work with parents and caregivers to create a plan that fits their teen’s emotional needs, whether it’s counseling, therapy referrals, or just a conversation about what’s been hard to name.
If you’re wondering whether it’s time to get help, give us a call to get the answers and support you need today.
References
- Soto, M., Crouch, E., Odahowski, C., Boswell, E., Brown, M. J., & Watson, P. (2024). Challenges to School Success Among Children in U.S. Military Families. Military medicine, usae506. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae506
- Frederick, J., & Siebler, P. (2022). Military Children: Unique Risks for Mental Health and Wellbeing and Implications for School-Based Social Work Support. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 92(4), 219–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377317.2023.2189469
- Noret, N., Mayor, H., Al-Afaleq, H., Lingard, S., & Mair, E. (n.d.). The educational attainment of army children. Scipalliance.org. Retrieved June 13, 2025, from https://www.scipalliance.org/assets/files/AFF-Educational-Attainment-of-Army-Children.pdf
- Mishra, A. K., & Varma, A. R. (2023). A comprehensive review of the generalized anxiety disorder. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.46115
- Experts explain mental state of military children. (2015, May 6). Army.mil. https://www.army.mil/article/147786/experts_explain_mental_state_of_military_children
- Force, A. F. (n.d.). The military teen experience survey 2022: Findings and insights. Militaryfamily.org. Retrieved June 13, 2025, from https://www.militaryfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Military-Teen-Experience-Survey-2022-Findings-and-Insights.pdf
- Ryan-Edger, K. (2024, October 27). Through their eyes: 2024 Military Teen Experience Survey results. National Military Family Association. https://www.militaryfamily.org/through-their-eyes-2024-military-teen-experience-survey-results/
- Selman, S. B., & Dilworth‐Bart, J. E. (2023). Routines and child development: A systematic review. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 16(2), 272–328. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12549
- Clifton, C. (2014, December 2). Understanding military culture: A guide for professional school counselors. The Professional Counselor. https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/understanding-military-culture-a-guide-for-professional-school-counselors/
- Aronson, K. R., Caldwell, L. L., Perkins, D. F., & Pasch, K. W. (2011). Assisting children and families with military‐related disruptions: The United States Marine Corps school liaison program. Psychology in the Schools, 48(10), 998–1015. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20608
- Trail, T. E., Martin, L. T., Burgette, L. F., May, L. W., Mahmud, A., Nanda, N., & Chandra, A. (2018). An evaluation of U.S. military non-medical counseling programs. RAND Health Quarterly, 8(2), Article 6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6183774/#:~:text=The%20MFLC%20and%20Military%20OneSource%20programs%20are%20designed%20to%20provide,to%20further%20strengthen%20these%20programs
